Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 122

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Chaebol’s Son (1)
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Before I knew it, the gathering had ended.
I was heading home with Kim Young-jun, the Prosecutor General.
The driver was at the wheel while Kim Young-jun and I occupied the back seat.
Kim Young-jun remained silent.
He gazed out the window, reflecting on today’s gathering.
Who spoke with whom, which man served as the nexus around which power coalesced.
I glanced sideways at Kim Young-jun, recalling words my father had spoken days ago.
‘He conducted a search and seizure of Father’s company?’
I couldn’t fathom how a man’s mind could conceive of ransacking his own brother’s enterprise.
‘This bastard is truly insane.’
Kim Young-jun’s mind harbored nothing but social success.
He believed that any deed was permissible in pursuit of advancement.
Family and siblings were merely instruments to him.
Such a man could not be allowed to roam freely in society.
His ascent up the ladder had to be stopped at all costs.
Beyond personal grievance, it was a necessity.
“How was it?”
Kim Young-jun shifted his gaze toward me.
I concealed my true thoughts and smiled.
“It was good.”
“The people gathered today—if the Prosecutor’s Office needs something, they might call you.”
“Me?”
“I’m going to use you as a hunting dog.”
But being a hunting dog wasn’t necessarily bad.
Because everything they aimed for, everything they did, would remain in my hands.
“So help them when you can. But before that, report to me. We need to distinguish between those who are useful and those who aren’t.”
Kim Young-jun smiled as though he genuinely cared for me.
I lowered my head as I met that smile.
“Yes, thank you.”
And so we arrived at my house.
“Then, I’ll be going inside.”
I stepped out and the car door closed.
Simultaneously, Kim Young-jun’s expression transformed entirely.
The heavy tint on the windows meant I couldn’t see his face.
The smile on Kim Young-jun’s face had turned ice-cold.
He regarded me with a peculiarly enigmatic gaze.
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“Hey, Urang-tang?”
The next day, I visited So Sang-woo’s office.
“Ugh, seriously!”
So Sang-woo’s face twisted in displeasure.
“Don’t call me that!”
Apparently, it was a nickname he truly despised.
But the moment I set the briefcase on the table, he rubbed his palms together eagerly.
“300 million.”
“Huh? Wasn’t the final payment supposed to be 1.5 billion?”
“That’s only when things are certain. We’ve just got the tail, haven’t we?”
So Sang-woo muttered, “Right. With just the tail caught, 300 million is reasonable,” and opened the briefcase to verify the money.
Watching him, I couldn’t help but smile.
Looking at So Sang-woo was genuinely hilarious.
When it came to money, he’d lick his own toes if it meant getting it.
I pulled up a chair and sat down, opening my mouth.
“Alright, tell me what you’ve found.”
So Sang-woo verified the money, then closed the briefcase and placed it under the table before speaking.
“There’s a guy named Oh Jung-gil. He lends money to foreigners, right? But here’s what’s strange—think about it. Who in their right mind lends money to illegal immigrants or short-term foreign visitors?”
“So?”
“Well, this Oh Jung-gil doesn’t care and lends anyway. And among the illegal immigrants, there was a notorious one involved.”
So Sang-woo pulled out a printed article and handed it to me.
It was an article about a foreigner who’d been caught attempting human trafficking and organ trafficking.
“These guys also borrowed money from Oh Jung-gil?”
“Yeah, they used the borrowed money to bounce around guesthouses and commit all sorts of atrocities. What do you think? Smells rotten, doesn’t it?”
I nodded.
Just hearing about it made the stench of corruption vibrate through me.
It could very well be a criminal organization centered around foreign capital.
So Sang-woo continued with a grin.
“I figured that with garbage on this scale, someone might have ordered the prosecutor to be thrown off a rooftop.”
I didn’t answer.
I crossed my arms and fell silent, lost in thought.
‘Did Kim Seo-jin investigate these bastards?’
The stench is mine, but the original Seo Jin lacks a clear connection to them.
Looking at the writing on the wall, there were only mentions of Kim Young-jun’s Wife and Prosecutor Kim Young-jun.
But I couldn’t jump to conclusions.
There were still many abbreviations on the wall I hadn’t deciphered, and their names could be among them.
‘And.’
An illegal resident wouldn’t hesitate to terrorize a prosecutor—they could always slip away on a boat and vanish forever.
Once they’re gone, there’s no way to find them.
‘Okay.’
Thinking alone wouldn’t get things done.
I had to move.
“Thanks.”
I rose to my feet.
So Sang-woo grinned and spoke.
“Once you investigate and confirm these are the right people, I get the rest of the money, correct?”
“Have you lived your whole life being deceived?”
“Yes, I’ve been deceived my entire life. There’s not a single person I can trust. But money—money I can trust.”
“Good.
Don’t forget that mindset. But never touch anything illegal. I won’t overlook it.”
“Yes!”
We’d said everything there was to say.
But as I turned to leave the office, I hesitated.
I glanced back at So Sang-woo.
“Hey, you can do anything if the money’s right, yeah?”
“Anything except dying or getting hurt. Oh, but since you’re a prosecutor, I won’t do anything illegal. Hehe.”
He was spouting nonsense.
So Sang-woo’s crimes were clear.
—Manipulating the stock price of the venture company ENS.
—Bleeding people dry by collecting interest rates exceeding legal limits.
—Using violence when debtors couldn’t pay.
But I needed to use him fully until I could nail Shin Il-seung of the Shinma Group. That was the virtue of an old friendship.
So.
“There’s drugs circulating around Gangnam. Not the club type, but the kind wealthy kids use. Find out who distributes it.”
“…That’s genuinely dangerous.”
“500 million won.”
“Ugh…”
So Sang-woo shook his head.
A refusal.
Just 500 million to uncover a drug route.
“Prosecutor, there’s one thing in this world you should never touch. Drug dealers. That’s the kind of work where my neck’s on the line. Offer more.”
“Fine then. I’ll look elsewhere.”
“600 million. That’s my final offer.”
“Hey, I could find that out myself. I’m asking you because I’m short on time. If you don’t want to, I’ll check other sources.”
“Ugh… Normally I wouldn’t do this. Fine, I’ll do it at that price as a favor.”
“Thanks.”
I waved and left.
So Sang-woo’s smirk vanished in an instant, his expression turning glacial.
“Damn it, this punk barely out of diapers is speaking to me informally.”
A rough-looking man entered So Sang-woo’s office.
He was the Team Leader of the debt collection unit that went around extracting payments.
The man glanced sideways toward where Seo Jin had exited, then opened his mouth.
“Boss, I heard that guy is targeting Shin Il-seung, the president of Shinma Group?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you just going to let him run around? It’s obvious he’s digging into the ENS stock manipulation case, and if that investigation reaches Shinma Group, we’re the ones who get screwed! Only us!”
When a scandal breaks, the conglomerates walk free.
It’s the underlings who become scapegoats and get destroyed.
The Prosecutor’s Office can’t touch the chaebol.
But So Sang-woo remained composed.
“That’s why I sent him to Oh Jung-gil.”
“…Oh Jung-gil?”
The man blinked.
Oh Jung-gil—the loan shark So Sang-woo had just mentioned to Seo Jin.
There were rumors that if someone refused to pay back their debt, he’d have them killed through illegal immigrants and the like.
So Sang-woo gazed at his own hands and muttered.
“We can’t do it ourselves, can we? We’re clean now—we just count money. The dirty work of spilling blood, that’s what thugs like Oh Jung-gil are for.”
“…!”
“That prosecutor won’t survive. Oh Jung-gil doesn’t fear the police or the Prosecutor’s Office.”
So Sang-woo’s laughter echoed with a chilling, hollow tone.
“It’s a shame we can’t pocket more money, but we can’t trust a prosecutor, can we?”
Then So Sang-woo picked up his phone.
He searched for Oh Jung-gil’s contact.
“Hey, Jung-gil, it’s me. I’ve got some crucial intel. You interested in 300 million won? If you don’t listen, you’re screwed. Here’s the thing….”
So Sang-woo deliberately leaked Oh Jung-gil’s information to Seo Jin.
If Seo Jin remained alive, he would become a threat to them.
Eliminating Seo Jin would earn him recognition from the Shin Ma Group Youngest Son.
A better tomorrow awaited.
“Kid, start with 300 million. Then I’ll tell you. This is premium intel. Got it?”
But So Sang-woo’s face suddenly went rigid mid-conversation.
So Sang-woo spoke in a hollow, lifeless voice.
“Wait, I’ll call you back.”
So Sang-woo hastily hung up and bit his lip.
The debt collection Team Leader, who had been listening to the call from beside him, tilted his head in confusion.
“Boss, what’s wrong?”
But So Sang-woo didn’t answer.
He simply stared ahead.
The Team Leader turned his head, following So Sang-woo’s gaze.
And I took a hesitant step backward.
“Damn… damn it…”
Seo Jin stood leaning against the office door with his arms crossed.
And when So Sang-woo and the Team Leader’s faces hardened, Seo Jin opened his mouth.
“Leave the bag and go.”
My bag was sitting on the chair.
I walked briskly toward the bag.
So Sang-woo opened his mouth in the most courteous voice he could muster.
“Prosecutor, I think there might be some misunderstanding. Jung-gil isn’t that Oh Jung-gil I mentioned earlier—he’s Kim Jung-gil. My friend.”
“Who cares what anyone says?”
I picked up my bag.
And as I slung it over my shoulder, I looked at So Sang-woo and the Team Leader standing beside him.
When my cold gaze made their faces grow serious, I smiled slightly.
At that smile, they laughed along with me—ha ha.
It was like spring rain falling on a frozen winter.
Their hearts eased, relieved.
And without dropping my smile, I opened my mouth.
“This place is closing today. You understand, right?”
“…!”
So Sang-woo hesitated for a moment.
He couldn’t understand why I was saying such a thing while smiling.
But soon he realized I was toying with them.
“Hey, kill that bastard.”
The Team Leader looked at So Sang-woo in shock.
“B-brother! He’s a prosecutor!”
“If we go in this time, who knows how many years we’ll get. Kill him! Besides, that bastard came alone!”
Looking at So Sang-woo’s menacing eyes, I let out a sigh.
I really hated situations like this.
“Hey, would I have come alone if I were crazy? I called the police. And when I gave them my name, they said they’d send a police bus. Within three minutes, even. Why the expression? I’m a prosecutor. Something like this should be possible, right?”
“…!”
At that moment, with a loud bang, the police burst in.
I smiled faintly.
“Three minutes on the dot.”
Dozens of police officers were pouring in.
The regular employees screamed in alarm.
And the police immediately burst into the executive office with a bang.
I pointed my finger at So Sang-woo.
So Sang-woo was arrested.
Unable to do anything, he collapsed to the floor and thrashed about.
“Damn it! What the hell did I do!”
“You attempted to instigate the murder of a prosecutor, violated the Securities Trading Act, and breached the Financial Consumer Protection Act. We’ll discuss the details in the Interrogation Room. There’s no point in struggling now, so I’d appreciate it if you’d keep quiet.”
Though I explained it kindly, So Sang-woo didn’t comprehend.
He continued to rage.
“I haven’t done anything wrong!”
I lowered my body to meet his eyes.
Then I opened my mouth quietly, sending a chilling gaze.
“I wanted to let you breathe the world’s air for a few more days if possible… but it seems people can’t be reformed after all. When you come back out, live righteously.”
“…!”
So Sang-woo blinked.
He felt as though he’d seen my eyes somewhere before.
While he stood dazed, I tapped his shoulder and spoke to the police.
“Take him away.”
There was no further commotion.
So Sang-woo was dragged out of the executive office with his head bowed.
Then I looked around the surroundings.
I moved slowly and placed his cell phone from the desk into my bag.
I examined other items methodically as well.
Then I felt an unfamiliar gaze.
When I turned my head, I saw ordinary employees standing before the office door.
They were watching me with frightened eyes.
I smiled and spoke.
“During the arrest of a suspect caught in the act, we can seize items without a warrant. And the Prosecutor’s Office will conduct a formal search and seizure within the next one to two hours, so if you have anything to hide, hide it before then.”
At the mention of search and seizure, the employees’ eyes widened.
They quickly rushed back to their desks.
Now I was finally alone.
I continued to examine So Sang-woo’s office.
It didn’t matter if they hid documents.
Everything important would be in this room anyway—his personality was such that he couldn’t trust anyone else.
Then I opened the cabinet.
‘Found it.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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